Prolonged Conflict Between Israel and Hamas Increases the Threat of Iranian Cyber Attacks

Since Hamas’ October 7 surprise attack on Israel, a flurry of cyber activity has unfolded alongside the fighting on the ground. Pro-Hamas hackers across the globe have Zoom-bombed Israeli government meetings, tampered with billboards, knocked the Jerusalem Post offline, and temporarily disrupted Israel’s Red Alert app that provides citizens with real-time data on rockets. Yet counter to many expectations, Iranian cyber operators have been noticeably quiet.

It would be a mistake to let Iran’s muted cyber involvement thus far breed a false sense of security. Yes, Microsoft’s cyber threat tracking (some of the best in the business) shows that 11 days passed before Iranian hackers even jumped into the fray. And yes, digital forensics show that Tehran’s opportunistic ransomware attacks supporting Hamas have achieved minimal strategic impact. But the longer the Israel-Hamas conflict draws out, the greater the danger that Iran strings together these disparate cyber attacks into a more coherent and sophisticated campaign against Tel Aviv.